Friday, January 29, 2010

"Abortion kills twice. It kills the body of the baby and it kills the conscience of the mother. Abortion is profoundly anti-women. Three quarters of its victims are women: Half the babies and all the mothers."~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta ~

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

There was an estimated 300,000 people (record attendance!) that participated in the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. this past Friday on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the supreme court decision that legalized abortion in 1973. Over 35,000 marched on the West Coast in San Francisco.

Monday, January 18, 2010

"A clean heart is a free heart. A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from his love. Purity, chastity, and virginity created a special beauty in Mary that attracted God’s attention. He showed his great love for the world by giving Jesus to her." - Mother Teresa

Friday, January 15, 2010

I feel like our culture today is resorting to e-mail, text messages, and instant messaging or facebook as the main form of conversation. This is not a healthy way to develop communication in a relationship. It presents challenges on many levels. These forms of communication are not very personal because there is a medium of technology between the two people.

I understand that the fear of rejection may be lessened when using these forms of communication because you don't have to look the person in the eye. However, it is important to develop communication skills that include eye contact. Text messaging can be convenient for short messages or a time clarification, however it is not effective to have a conversation through text messages. It shows more respect if you are able to communicate face to face or at least on the phone and not through messages that you are interested in someone.

Sixteen year-old Maddy Curtis, the daughter of an award-winning pro-life blogger, appeared on American Idol this week. American Idol featured a segment showcasing her family of 12 children, including four children with Down's Syndrome. Here's what she had to say about the sanctity of life: “I think some people are a little skeptical of down syndrome. Those four boys bring out the best in every person they meet. They see the world in colors, and we need to see the world that way.”

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

This is a brand-new book called "Santo Subito," which in Italian means "Immediate Saint." It's a book with unedited testimonies about Pope John Paul II's prayer life from those who knew him best.

"He spoke with God. You would take one look at him and you knew that he was a person who talked frequently with God.”

I love Pope John Paul II for so many reasons, but one of them is the simple fact that he radiated joy and love. I used to tell my Mom that you could always tell when someone had a truly amazing relationship with Christ because they were peaceful, joyful, confident, compassionate and generous people. There's a "glow." Pope John Paul II had that glow.

So what does this have to do with practicing chastity? A personal relationship with Christ is the foundation of your life. I can't say it any better: "Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination,will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love; stay in love,and it will decide everything." ~ Fr. Pedro Arrupe S.J.

An amazing prayer life is the key to living passionately. Until that key unlocked my life, I only practiced chastity because I knew that sex before marriage was sinful and I wanted my husband to have that special gift. While that is certainly not wrong, it's not the whole story. I found that when I started praying intensely my desire switched from wanting not just to please my husband, but to love Christ. Now, I practice chastity for both of them - I know that Christ is, and always will be, the King of my Heart, and that living a life of chastity is ultimately about loving God. Sex inside of marriage mirrors Christ's own self-giving, free, faithful, and fruitful love - and I'm committed to keeping sex inside of marriage because I want to love as He does. Prayer changed my life; I would pick up this book and let it change yours.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

How can a Christian walk in purity when temptation seems to be around every corner? First we must remember that God created sex to be a beautiful expression of love between a man and a woman who are joined in marriage. Since sexual activity can result in the creation of new life, it is obviously very important therefore, Satan does his best to pervert it.

In order to deal with this issue of temptation and walking in purity, we need to start by exposing the lies and excuses Satan uses to deceive people. This is essential because once we believe one of his lies, we have taken the first step on a path that will lead to heartbreak and regret. When the lies are exposed, we are able to see the truth that God gave us in the beauty of His creation. This truth enables us to walk in purity.